choice of method and research process: 3 key concepts - Representativeness Flashcards
1
Q
why can’t sociologists study every member of the group they are interested in?
A
simply too many of them
2
Q
what may researchers choose to do bc of too many?
A
a sample
3
Q
what is a sample?
A
a smaller sub-group drawn from the wider target group
4
Q
what do the characteristics of the sample need to be to be representative?
A
the same as those in the wider group
5
Q
why do characteristics of sample need to be same as those in the wider group?
A
to make generalisations on the basis of evidence from the sample
6
Q
who emphasis the importance of this concept?
A
positivists
7
Q
why do positivist emphasise this?
A
wish to discover general patterns and make general cause and effect statements abt social behaviour
